Dumb questions about the basic ingredients for choc. chip cookies

[Anonymous]

I've failed miserably at making CCs. I think it may be my ingredients.

So, when the recipe calls for butter - what type? Lucerne Sweet Cream, unsalted, Blue Bonnet, Emperial, vegetable oil-based?
And do I leave the butter on the counter to bring to room temperature? Or can I microwave it to get it soft?
And for salt - ionized or sea salt?
And for brown sugar - dark or light brown? Does it matter?
And for eggs - the super big jumbo ones or just regular size? And do I need to leave them on the counter for an hour to take the chill off?
And for mixing - I read in a previous thread that a hand mixer introduces air into the batter. Is that a good thing? Should I use that to mix the ingredients or just mix with spoon?

Sorry for asking such "duh" questions, but there seems to be so many variables and I keep getting flat CCs with no curb appeal and it's frustrating to waste so much time and ingredients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've failed miserably at making CCs. I think it may be my ingredients.

So, when the recipe calls for butter - what type? Lucerne Sweet Cream, unsalted, Blue Bonnet, Emperial, vegetable oil-based? Unsalted. I usually use sweet cream.
And do I leave the butter on the counter to bring to room temperature? Or can I microwave it to get it soft? Room temp is best, but you can put it in for 30 seconds. Just don't melt it.
And for salt - ionized or sea salt? Ionized
And for brown sugar - dark or light brown? Does it matter? I usually use light.
And for eggs - the super big jumbo ones or just regular size? And do I need to leave them on the counter for an hour to take the chill off? Cold is okay. I use whatever is in my fridge.
And for mixing - I read in a previous thread that a hand mixer introduces air into the batter. Is that a good thing? Should I use that to mix the ingredients or just mix with spoon? I mix with a fork.
Sorry for asking such "duh" questions, but there seems to be so many variables and I keep getting flat CCs with no curb appeal and it's frustrating to waste so much time and ingredients.

[Anonymous]

Generally ingredients should be room temp. unless listed otherwise in the recipe, but I think the only thing on your list that might make a real difference is using dark brown sugar instead of light brown. You might check too if your baking soda is really old. A hand (or stand) mixer is probably a good idea. If you want a less flat cookie you might try replacing some brown sugar with white sugar, but personally I like the flatter slightly chewy cookies.

[Anonymous]

One more thing, don't use margarine. The cookies will never taste as good as you want them to.

Also, get some parchment paper and use that on your cookie tray. It is the secret to making good cookies.

[Anonymous]

I use a hand mixer until it's time to stir in the chocolate chips.

Standard egg size is large.

Definitely need room temp butter. Softening in the microwave will melt the butter and you don't want that.

[Anonymous]

Hand mixer or even better stand mixer, room temp butter. Really cream the butter and sugar well. Once you add the flour, mix as little as possible, just enough to blend it in.

[Anonymous]

I use butter-flavored Crisco instead of butter. The cookies are legendary. It's the recipe for Hillary's Chips, from the 1992 "I could have stayed home and baked cookies" battle with Barbara Bush.

[Anonymous]

I use a modified version of Roland Mesnier's in Dessert University.

-ONLY USE UNSALTED BUTTER

-Mesnier's recipe calls for light brown sugar and molasses -- perfect combo of sweetness and softness;

-Set eggs and butter on the counter several hours before

-Substitute amaretto for vanilla for a tasty twist;

-Wooden spoon is fine but more work. I use hand mixer.

-If I bake them without nuts I reduce the sugar by one-sixth.

[Anonymous]

To help with flatness you should remember that the more butter and sugar you add the more the cookie will spread and become oilier and more candylike. If you want a fluffier, more cakelike cookie, you need to use a little more flour than the recipe calls for. Sometimes I bake a test batch and if they don't rise high enough I stir in extra flour. I also double the amount of baking soda the recipe calls for and use one and a half times the salt recommended.

[Anonymous]

The word you're looking for salt is iodized, not ionized. Very particular bakers will say you should use regular, or ideally kosher, because the additives to table salt will give it an off flavor. It doesn't bother me, but I'm putting it out there.

If you want puffy cookies, use shortening. Soda will cause spread, baking powder will make them puffier.

You can use whole-wheat flour and they will taste almost the same -- just a little grittier.

[Anonymous]

Also: if you use the toll house recipe chill the dough for at least 30min in freezer before baking.

[Anonymous]

1. Unsalted, sweet cream butter. Land o'lakes has the best value-to-flavor ratio. Room temp - this is KEY
2. Good vanilla
3. Half white, half brown sugar
4. I cream the sugar, butter and eggs in my stand mixer, then fold in dry ingredients by hand to avoid overworking the flour
5. I use kosher salt
6. Refrigerate the dough at least an hour, preferably over night. Never put cool dough on a warm cookie sheet. Also, try to minimize the time between taking it out of the fridge & cookies in the oven
7. MOST IMPORTANTLY, they may be ugly, but there is no such thing as a "bad" homemade CC cookie

[Anonymous]

Not too long ago, I was a live in nanny. My bosses owned a spa. During the holidays, they would have cookies . Well, I got talked into making cookies. Everyone raved about my cookies.

ALWAYS use room temp unsalted butter.
Large eggs
Ghiradelli chocolate chips
1 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
Kosher salt
I always use more vanilla.
Make sure to sift the flour, salt and soda together before adding to the butter mixture.

I use the stand mixer with the whisk attachment. I feel it incorporates air which leads to a fluffier dough. I add the flour and give it a small whirl with the mixer. I finish off the blending by hand.

Let the pans cool completely before placing another batch. If you rush it the dough will spread and the cookies will be flat.

[Anonymous]

I like my cookies with dark brown sugar (and browned butter...mmm) You definitely want to mix the butter and sugar together really well. The mixture should be light and fluffy when you're done. Don't beat the batter too much once the eggs have been added. The egg proteins may toughen up the structure of the cookie and it won't be as tender. Just mix in the eggs until they're fully incorporated. Fold in flour mixture (sifting is definitely not necessary) and chocolate chips. If the batter seems too soft, you can put it into the fridge to firm up. Be sure your oven is at the right temperature. Buy an oven thermometer if necessary. Most recipes call for a temp of 350 but I like 375 better. And the oven has to be at 375 before you put the cookies in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've failed miserably at making CCs. I think it may be my ingredients.

So, when the recipe calls for butter - what type? Lucerne Sweet Cream, unsalted, Blue Bonnet, Emperial, vegetable oil-based?
And do I leave the butter on the counter to bring to room temperature? Or can I microwave it to get it soft?
And for salt - ionized or sea salt?
And for brown sugar - dark or light brown? Does it matter?
And for eggs - the super big jumbo ones or just regular size? And do I need to leave them on the counter for an hour to take the chill off?
And for mixing - I read in a previous thread that a hand mixer introduces air into the batter. Is that a good thing? Should I use that to mix the ingredients or just mix with spoon?

Sorry for asking such "duh" questions, but there seems to be so many variables and I keep getting flat CCs with no curb appeal and it's frustrating to waste so much time and ingredients.

Always use real butter. Anything else is just gross. Use the best quality that you can find, but make sure that it is unsalted. You want to be able to control the amount of salt.

Best if the butter is left on the counter, but you can microwave if necessary. To do so, you will need to use a low power setting and check frequently. If it melts, grab another stick and try again.

Recipes typically mean iodized salt. I use a coarse sea salt, and a bit more than is called for in the recipe, as it brings out the complexity of flavors better.

Do you like molassas? If so, use dark brown sugar. If not, use light brown. I like it some, but not an overwhelming amount, so I generally use light brown.

Large eggs will give you the best match, but you are okay no matter what. Best if they are room temperature, but if you didn't get a chance to leave them out, just use them cold. Unlike with the butter, cold will not kill the cookies.

I use my kitchenaid, but use whatever you want.

Despite all this, I agree with pp, don't worry too much - almost all cookies are good. One of my favorite childhood memories was of when my mother, who is a terrible cook in general, attempted to make chocolate chip cookies one night right after I went to bed. It is the only time in my entire life that I remember her baking. I have no idea what she did, but they ended up being just a thin crust completely stuck to the pan all the way across. She started scraping it off and finally she just got me out of bed (I must have been about 5) and we went at it together, scraping off each tiny bit and shoving the crumbs in our mouths. It took a while, but got it all off. It was excellent!